Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: English Pale Ale
Frederick, Maryland USA

Bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a medium off white head that diminshes quickly to a thin head that stays. Has a toasted malt aroma with hints of caramel. Has a malty taste with a bitter finish. This was an ok ale but nothing special.

12 ounce bottle from City Market in Burlington, VT (June 2007) served cold from the fridge from a Maudite glass. Pours a very dark, clear bronze with a moderate creamy-smooth off-white head, slowly dissipating and leaving a touch of lacing....surprisingly pungent, strong smelly hoppy aroma, fresh and leafy-green at first though it fades quickly and becomes more woody, caramelized in nature; still quite pleasant.....body is quite smooth and creamy on first tasting, a bit of grittiness/acidity sets in towards the middle and it smooths out again at the end; flavor-wise there’s little negative to say, but also nothing much positive -- a simple, boring lightly woody-tart character with minimal hops until the finish, and what’s there is ultimately dull and old....nice carbonation level and easy drinkability make this tolerable on a hot summer night, but I don’t think I"ll be getting it again.

[0AE671AFFFFFF]Appearance: The 12 ounce bottle poured a crystal clear dark amber colored beverage with a medium sized off-white creamy head that was mostly diminishing but left good lacing on the glass. [0AE671AFFFFFF]Aroma: The aroma was nicely balanced with grain and straw malt notes accompanied by light grass hop notes and a hint of old leather yeast notes to round it all out. [0AE671AFFFFFF]Flavor: The body was medium with a soft carbonation and a smooth, soft texture. The flavor starts out lightly bitter and remains the same throughout the medium length finish. There is a slight astringence at the end leaving a clean, dry finish to the experience.

Rated 11/10/06: Funky aroma of strong malt and interesting hops, I like it. Medium-dark copper pour solid head and lacing. Biting mouthfeel that sticks with you, I like it. Upfront taste that knocks you back a bit then settles down. Some strong coffee is present, rather bitter. Peculiar ale, but I do like it.

bottle. Pours red with a small white head. The aroma is papery with notes of leather, cedar, caramel, and apple peels. I picked up suggestions of bacon with hints of dough and leaves in the flavor. It’s a shade metallic as well. This is not awful.

Bottle. Pours dark copper color, with a medium and fluffy off white head. Pretty good looking beer. Aroma of flowery hops, some earthy malt and a bit of tangyness. Taste is more of the same with a little bit of a medicine like taste. A little hint of chocolate as it warms. Medium body, somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Not bad.

on tap...dark amber body with medium head..aroma of bitter, dry hops and earthy characteristics...flavor is very similar, seems a tad watered down, and is lacking any malt complexity...throw in a touch of spices to the floral mess

HAS A DECENT/SLIGHTLY WEAK FLAVOR MADE WORSE BY A CONFUSING BODY THAT IS TOO HEAVY FOR THIS LACK OF FLAVOR. EARTH AND CARAMEL BASE WITH HOPS COMING THRU MORE TO THE NOSE THAN THE TASTE. THE FLORAL CHARACTER IS OK AND HELPS SOME. UNFORTUNATE THAT FLAT IS A GOOD WORD HERE. THERE IS SOME COMPLEXITY HERE IN THE FLAVOR THAT I WILL ADD UP 1 TO A 2.9. A SIT AND DRINK IT BEER FOR THE RESIGNED!